By Njong Shey
Cameroon’s main opposition politician, Prof. Maurice Kamto, has said his party, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, will drag the country’s election management body, known by its French acronym Elecam, to court for violating the electoral code.
In a presser in Yaounde recently, the CRM president revealed evidence of electoral registration fraud, which he believed was aimed at rigging the upcoming election in 2025.
He said in the diaspora, the registration takes place only for a few days, contrary to the law, which says that the electoral register is open from January to August.
Aside from that, he equally stated that thousands of Cameroonians are unable to register due to a lack of registration kits. To him, elections keep using fingerprints, while the ID card can serve the purpose because the elections in the country are not biometric. Aside from that, he decried that the camera is slowing voter registration in some parts of the country, including the Central, Littoral, and West regions. These areas are where the majority of CRM supporters are based.
“We will systematically file criminal complaints against anyone who violates the rights of Cameroonians to exercise their civil and political rights as provided for by the laws, the Constitution, and international conventions ratified by Cameroon.” Maurice Kamto stated during the press conference.
He also criticised Erik Essousse, Director General of Elections Cameroon, for vehemently violating the laws by being transparent on those who have registered so far.
“Concerning Cameroonians in the diaspora, he has assumed to himself the powers of the legislator—nothing less than that—to make registrations conditional on documents that are sometimes unrealistic and, in any case, not prescribed by law. We have numerous proofs of this arbitrary and unacceptable situation. You have all seen official press releases from several of our embassies denouncing this serious electoral fraud, especially as it has been perpetrated by Elecam officials,” he added.
Cameroon is gearing towards an election year in 2025. Maurice Kamto of the CRM is expected to contest. He might face the incumbent president, Paul Biya, who has been ruling since 1982. Though voter registration for the year 2024 has ended, the register will open in January 2025 again.
As such, opposition politicians are calling on everyone to mobilise and register.
